Andrés Manuel López Obrador (Spanish: [anˈdɾes maˈnwel ˈlopes oβɾaˈðoɾ] ⓘ; born 13 November 1953), also known by his initials AMLO, is a Mexican politician who served as the 65th president of Mexico from 2018 to 2024.

López Obrador began middle school in Macuspana but finished it in the state capital of Villahermosa, where his family moved in the mid-1960s and opened a clothes and shoe store called Novedades Andrés.

In 1987, he received a degree in political science and public administration after the presentation of his thesis, Proceso de formación del Estado Nacional en México 1821-1867 (Formation Process of the National State in Mexico 1821–1867).

President Vicente Fox, wanting to avoid a political crisis and knowing that the decision made by Congress was widely unpopular,[5] appeared on national television in April 2005, stating that the issue would not be pursued further.

[70] Some left-wing politicians and analysts criticized López Obrador for including in his close staff many former members of the PRI who fought against his party in the 1980s and 1990s,[71] such as Arturo Núñez (one of the authors of Fobaproa contingency fund),[72] Manuel Camacho Solís and Marcelo Ebrard.

[86] In contesting the election, López Obrador and his coalition made several arguments: (a) that President Fox, the Consejo Coordinador Empresarial (CCE), a business interest group, and other organizations had illegally interfered in the presidential campaign, which is strictly prohibited by electoral law,[7] thereby providing grounds for election annulment; that (b) that votes were fraudulently tallied on 2 July and afterward; and that (c) there was widespread and significant evidence of electoral irregularities, ranging from stuffed ballot boxes and inconsistent tally reports to improper and illegal handling of the ballot trail and voter intimidation.

[112] In his speech at the proclamation ceremony, López Obrador promised to "procure the happiness of the people"[113] and announced twenty "actions of government", such as fostering a process for renewal of public institutions and defending the right to information and demanding openness of communication media.

[123] Congress was also taken by legislators of the Broad Progressive Front (FAP), the PRD, Labor, and Convergence parties on 10 April 2008 because they disagreed with the Government regarding energy policy discussions, claiming they were unconstitutional.

López Obrador's followers, using chairs and tables and barricades, took both chambers of Congress and had them chained, thus avoiding the passage of secondary laws which modified the legal framework of the Mexican state-owned oil company, Pemex.

[147] A couple of days after his departure from the PRD, federal deputy Ricardo Monreal stated it was a "divorce for convenience", and that López Obrador did the most responsible thing to avoid polarization of the country.

"[151] After Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas criticized him for forming his political party, on 7 July 2014, López Obrador posted on social media that, "PRD leaders and most of its legislators voted for the fiscal reforms [raising taxes and gas prices] and with their collaboration they paved the way for privatization of the oil industry.

"[173] Miguel Ángel Revilla, president of the Autonomous Community of Cantabria, Spain, mentioned López Obrador in an interview on the El Hormiguero program, where he spoke of the possibility of victory for the presidential candidate in 2018: "I think he's going to win because Mexico needs a change to a good person because they are presenting him as a Chávez-type populist, or Fidel Castro-type, but really, because he wants to end corruption and inequality within [the limits of] what he can do because the country does not deserve what it has until now; I want to send my support to this man, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, from here.

[10] Other outlets have claimed that López Obrador toned down his rhetoric for the 2018 election, allying with business figures and narrowing his criticism of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

[188][189][190] He proposed the cancellation of the under-construction New Mexico City International Airport,[191] the conversion of the president's official residence and office complex, Los Pinos, into a cultural center,[192][193] as well as universal health care,[194] free internet,[195] and a sale of the presidential aircraft.

[228] As the Mexican Drug War that started under President Calderón (2006–12) dragged on into its 12th year, he reiterated his 2012 presidential run strategy of "Abrazos, no balazos" (Hugs, not bullets), arguing that jobs and better wages, especially for younger people and the rural populace, are necessary to combat crime,[229][230] not the use of more military force.

[238] When three adults and six children, American citizens belonging to the LeBaron family, were killed near the border between Sinaloa and Chihuahua, President Donald Trump briefly threatened to declare the cartels terrorist organizations.

[271] Following accusations by interest groups and the opposition,[272] which have alleged influences by the Venezuelan government and drawn comparisons with Donald Trump, López Obrador stated, "No to Chavismo, no to Trumpismo; yes to Juarismo, yes to Maderismo, yes to Cardenismo, yes to Mexicanismo.

[290] Around 30 minutes after polls closed in the country's northwest, José Antonio Meade, speaking at a news conference from PRI headquarters, conceded defeat and wished Andrés Manuel López Obrador "every success".

[291][292] Ricardo Anaya also conceded defeat within an hour of the polls closing,[293][294] and independent candidate Jaime Rodríguez Calderón recognized López Obrador's victory shortly afterward.

[297] Before taking office, from 22 to 25 October, he held an impromptu vote, organized by supporters of his party, on whether or not the New International Airport for Mexico City was to be scrapped, citing that the project was rife with corruption, cronyism, and a waste of taxpayer's money.

[298] In December 2018, López Obrador ordered the creation of a truth commission to re-examine one of the country's most notorious unsolved crimes: the kidnapping and presumed murder of 43 trainee teachers who disappeared after an attack by cartel gunmen and police officers.

In 2024, a video on his official YouTube channel showing him revealing the phone number of a New York Times reporter who had investigated his associates' connections with drug traffickers was taken down by the site, prompting him to accuse the platform of censorship and being taken over by conservatives.

[315] He stated his administration will no longer employ the agency designed to uncover corruption in government spending, the National Institute for Access to Information and Data Protection (INAI), citing its complicity in covering up high-profile scandals such as the Odebrecht case.

According to José Olivares of The Intercept, leaked intelligence documents indicate the U.S. government is displeased with the Mexican state prioritizing social spending over furthering U.S. interests, such as "investments needed to address bilateral issues with the US, such as migration, security and trade.

[357][358] López Obrador has acceded to U.S. requests to extradite criminals to the U.S.[359] In Michoacán, drug mafias have been extorting avocado producers, an ongoing issue especially following the rise in demand in the U.S. for the crop.

The Mexican Government claims that weapons from various gun producers, including Smith & Wesson, Barrett Firearms Manufacturing and several others, are widely used by drug cartels and accuses them of facilitating this through "negligent commercial practices".

"[373] That same day, Bárcena reported during a morning press conference that weapons exclusively used by the U.S. military had illegally entered Mexican territory, and that the governments of both countries agreed on Friday to investigate this problem.

[388] The Trump administration in the U.S. pressed for building a wall on Mexico's northern border, and it also implemented measures attempting to stem the flow of migrants from Central America and other regions of the world.

[390] Citing widespread corruption, López Obrador dismantled the Federal Police and incorporated elements of it into the recently created National Guard, which has been employed to stop Central American immigrants at the southern border.

"[391] Former Bolivian President Evo Morales, who was forced to resign amid allegations of fraud in October's presidential election, fled Bolivia during the night of 11 November 2019 on a plane for Mexico, which offered him asylum.